ONLINE CRIME REPORTING MAKES DEBUT
By Jan Sears
The Press Enterprise
REDLANDS, Calif. Just a week after its debut, some 20 Redlands residents have used an online program to file police reports without any assistance from the department.
The CopLogic program, which allows people to file certain types of non-emergency crime reports on their own, has been in the works about a year, said Lt. Chris Catren, of the Redlands Police Department.
Its debut was timely, coming a week or so after the department was forced to lay off 22 full-time employees. That left five records clerks to deal with crime reports of all types, from traffic citations to arrest reports that must be filed within 48 hours to the district attorney’s office, Catren said.
The program, found on the city’s website is easy to use. The opening page offers the various types of reports available, and choosing one leads to the appropriate form. Error warnings pop up if information is left out or is incorrect, and a message at the end advises: “Your online police report has been submitted.”
“If you can sit at home and order from Amazon, you can sit at home and do your own crime report,” Catren said. “You can file from your iPhone, your iPad, your laptop.”
Once the report is submitted, crime victims get a report number and a free printout, often the two most important items for those who want to make an insurance claim, Catren said.
The system is for use only in crimes where no suspect is known and no emergency exists. The reports are reviewed to see if follow-up is necessary, then filed to records management.
The department deals each year with 60,000 incidents, which generate 10,000 to 13,000 crime reports, Catren said.
“We were having a hard time keeping up with the workload before the layoffs,” he said. “There are very real consequences to this. We’re trying to find ways to be more efficient.”
Residents also can use the program to report drug or gang activity, lodge animal complaints or request extra patrols or vacation checks. The department hasn’t received any feedback so far, but Catren said he is encouraged that there have been no complaints or reports of trouble.
“People are seeing it as a viable option,” he said.
Copyright 2010 The Press Enterprise, Inc.